After five long years since the previous installment,Tomb Raider2013 was quite literally a game-changer for the series. Launched in 2008, Tomb Raider: Underworld ended the first reboot in the series, a trilogy that maintained Lara’s confident persona while alsoadding more depth to her backstory.
Related:All Tomb Raider Games And The Years They Released
As the second reboot in the series, Tomb Raider had a lot of weight on its metaphorical shoulders. So when trailers dropped and the game was shown to be a survival horror rather than fitting the classic action-adventure genre, players knew this wasn’t going to be the Tomb Raider they grew up with. From that point onward,Crystal DynamicsandSquare Enixtook significant liberties in changing the famed heroine in eight major ways.
8A New Origin Story
One of the first things Tomb Raider 2013 changed was Lara’s origin story. In this new story, Lara is setting out on her first expedition, one that she plans with the backing of her late father’s friend, Roth. As soon as Lara is shipwrecked on the island, it’s obvious that she isn’t the experienced Croft you’re used to. She’s completely unprepared for the events to come.
Lara is inexperienced with not only tomb raiding, what she’s typically known for, but any sort of combat as well. She may know her way around a bow or a gun, but it’s clear she’s never had to defend herself, much less kill someone. This origin story is a blank slate for the character.
7The Survival-Horror Element
To be fair,some of the Tomb Raider games already had creepy elements. Fighting undead creatures and monstrous experiments is part of the gig, but Lara’s survival is never called into question. She may be shocked by what she sees, but she quickly adjusts and rarely shows fear.
Tomb Raider 2013 established a genre change. Not only is it action-adventure, but also survival horror. For the first time, Lara doesn’t confidently enter a scenario. Instead, she starts using stealth, when she previously always entered situations with guns blazing. Instead of the usual combat and mercenaries, you’re tasked with sneaking by and defending yourself from an extremist cult and undead Japanese warriors. And on top of the enemies, you’re tasked with surviving an extreme environment that’s riddled with corpses.
6A More Relatable Croft
Classic Lara Croft is known for being the ultimate power symbol. She’s not necessarily emotionless, but it’s not common for Lara to delve into her feelings. Lara faces everything head-on, barely batting an eye when enemies come her way. If one of Lara’s friends dies, she bounces back incredibly fast and doesn’t show too many signs of grieving.
Related:The Richest Video Game Characters
In the reboot, the game introduces an entirely new Lara Croft. Her inexperience throws her into a world of pain and turmoil. Lara cries, reacts to injuries, grieves losses, and shows deep love and affection for her friends. This Lara is less of a symbol and more of a human being.
5Lara Can Be Injured
Speaking of injuries,Lara can actually be visibly injured in the game. In previous installments, you never really see Lara sustain an injury. If she’s injured by the environment or by enemies, the most you’ll see is her health bar decrease.
Now, Lara’s character model shows the wear and tear she experiences. She suffers fromvisibly deep wounds and is covered in dirt after being tossed around. In fact, Lara suffers an injury that actually hinders her ability to move and defend herself. Just like her more relatable personality, Lara isn’t the invincible, fast-healing character she once was.
4A New, More Practical Wardrobe
While her classic tank and shorts are beloved, developers decided to alter her look while maintaining the same colorway. She keeps her blue tank top, but she trades in her tan shorts for pants.
Since she’s stranded on an island, she only has access to one outfit, but the following games show Lara dressed more practically. Lara actually dresses for the environment, whether it’s snow, jungle, or desert landscapes. Her past looks will always be iconic, and they’d be welcomed by fans in future games, but it’s also nice to see Croft in clothing that doesn’t cater as much to the male gaze.
3No More Dual Pistols
Her iconic shorts weren’t the only part of her silhouette that was changed. In this new reboot, Lara builds her arsenal as she progresses in the game, and though she carries a pistol, it’s only one instead of two.
Related:All Tomb Raider Game Endings Ranked
In fact, the bow began to take the place of her beloved pistols. Though you’ll see a glimpse of the dual pistols in the game, the following games completely ditch the concept. Lara keeps her bow and decides to double up on pry axes instead of guns.
2A Larger Cast Of Characters
In the previous games, any character other than Lara got very little development and attention. They’re very much NPCs that aid Lara in her journey, instead of being human beings with their own backstories. In addition to the characters being superficial, Lara typically goes on her journeys alone.
In the 2013 installment, Lara has a much larger entourage. Each character undergoes some type of character development and has their own distinctive personality. You can learn about each character whether they’re on or off screen through cutscenes and detailed written documents.
1Character Development
Character development was heavily lacking in the series. Lara is always leaving the game the same way she entered it. The only development you’ll see in the previous games is Lara gaining knowledge she originally lacked. Sometimes these answers are emotional and provide closure, and other times, Lara discovers the truth behind myths.
The last reboot does establish some semblance of emotion within Lara, but she still doesn’t experience much of a character arc. In Tomb Raider 2013, Lara completely transforms from an inexperienced, terrifiedarchaeologist to a hardened tomb raider. Aside from her newfound confidence, Lara also suffers from the trauma of her past experiences, which helps to continue her arc in the following games.
